28 June 2007

Note to all women with darker skin tones who brave the world of below-the-belt white linen -- buy a slip.

As the Sweetness and I came around the corner of ConnAve/K yesterday evening around 7:30, we noticed a pretty young thing in a pretty young Summer outfit. Petite, fit and tan, the sunglasses-bedecked Georgetown University student - believe me, once you've spent time on campus, you just know - complemented the humidity with a very weather appropriate ensemble of a coral-colored cap-sleeved boatneck tissue tee, metallic ballet flats, a worn caramel satchel over her left wrist, a crisp, well-fitted-at-the-ass, white linen skirt, and oh yeah, royal blue bikini briefs so visible even I, without glasses, could clearly identify where the cotton material met its silken piping.

You never know with a girl like this; this was, in my immediate opinion, an intentional act, an act of calculated entrapment meant to invite a confrontation in which she could justifiably accuse a man caught at the latter end of the implicit five-second am-I-really-seeing-what-I'm-seeing? stare-at-a-stranger window of being a pervert.

You know, like we all do with our university-emblazoned booty shorts?

Why am I so convinced this wasn't a typical DC fashion miscue?

If there's one thing I learned in my days up on College Hill and then again behind the gates of Georgetown, it's that girls with Tod's handbags and subtle diamond jewelery know every inch of their appearance before they leave their luxury apartments. Front, left-side, right-side, and most assuredly, back-side.

And to her credit, the plan worked. For the first time in recent memory, Monte's patrician good looks and self-important gait weren't the center of attention.

1- any script written on the ass is beyond tacky. no matter what the script says, be it abercrombie, pink, or the name of your university, what it really says is, "LOOK AT MY ASS!!!" it's just too obvious and too tacky. 2- i lost my long slip, so i went to the lingerie department in lord and taylor to replace it. i didn't see any slips so i asked the saleswoman where they were and she told me they didn't have them anymore. i don't think women wear them anymore, but many women should. it not only prevents a garment from being see through, it also helps it hang better. perhaps so few people wear slips because so few people wear hosiery/tights and that is what usually catches on the fabric of a skirt.

The Concept

Each day, with old man candor, I'll offer my brand of style counsel to the professional DC women who believe a serious job is a valid excuse for an ill-fitted, office inappropriate, comfort first work wardrobe. And when the mood strikes me, which is often, I'll also muse about celebrity fashion and my own fashion-related comings and goings, both of which, I'm sure, are of great interest to you.